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plate the various methods he could use to destroy Ian, calm returned to him. He picked up the marriage contract and felt even better. He could ask a tenth of Alinor's property as a fine and not be considered greedy. With the thirteenth he was asking as a tax on top of that, she would be pinched enough to pinch her dependents in turn. That would be the first. As soon as de Vipont was dead, she could have her choice of husbands again, and he could take another tenth as a fine. John passed his tongue across his lips slowly. Almost three tenths. That was very nice. |
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The frown returned to his brow, but it was thought, not rage. Why should he be content with three tenths? Just to satisfy Fulk or Henry? Piss on them! He could now have the whole if only he could think of a way to arrange de Vipont's demise so that it looked like treason. Suddenly John's eyes lit, and he smiled. What could be better? What could be more natural? Of course. He would cross from La Rochelle to Portsmouth and then go to Roselynde, hard by. He would do Lady Alinor and Lord Ian the great honor of being their guest as a gesture of forgivenessand they would treacherously attack him, so that it would be needful to take Roselynde. De Vipont, of course, would die in the struggle, perhaps in the very act of attempted regicide. Alinor would be taken prisoner and held at his pleasure. John licked his lips again, but his mouth was so wet that little bubbles of spittle hung at the corners of his lips. |
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There was a daughter, too. Very convenient. The son would have to die, but the daughter could be put to better use. John looked down at the parchments on the table and smiled at them almost fondly. All in all, that stinking sow had done him a favor by this marriage. It would give him a good excuse to rid himself of de Vipont, who had been taking entirely too much of his brother Salisbury's attention, and would drop two handsome estates into his hands. De Vipont's property was mostly in the north, too, which would give John a foot- |
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